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“How big is it?”
“About two hundred students.”
“That’s a lot of exams to grade.”
Brooke made a face. “Yeah. I was actually thinking of going in early to get some work out of the way.” She hooked a thumb toward the bathroom. “So I should probably go shower and get dressed.”
Dylan nodded as he sipped his coffee. “Sure.”
Brooke gave him a weak smile and escaped to her room. Once she’d gathered up her clothes—making sure not to repeat Dylan’s underwear miscalculation—she crept into the bathroom, relaxing only when she’d closed and locked the door behind her.
It was as hot and steamy as a sauna in there, and she peeled off her pajamas before brushing her teeth and washing her face. In the shower, she turned the water to cold before stepping under the stream. The frigid temperature shocked her system, raising goose bumps all over her skin, but it didn’t do enough to quell the heat suffusing her limbs or the carnal thoughts that had taken up residence in her brain. It didn’t keep her from dwelling on the memory of Dylan’s naked body.
After standing under the water for as long as she could bear, she got out and pulled on her clothes over her sweaty limbs. Throwing open the bathroom door, she grabbed her hair dryer and retreated to her room again, grateful for the cooler air in the rest of the apartment.
She didn’t usually bother with makeup when she went to campus, but today she took the time to apply some foundation, mascara, and tinted lip balm. But only so she’d have more time to pull herself back together after the penis-flashing incident before she had to interact with Dylan again. Definitely not because she was trying to look good for him.
Brooke had no illusions about the chances of him finding her attractive. If that was going to happen, it would have happened years ago. At this point they’d been friends so long he probably didn’t even see her anymore, like a comfortable piece of furniture. The guy spent his days surrounded by professionally flawless human specimens. No way could Brooke ever compete with that.
But maybe she wouldn’t mind if he at least thought she was cute. That wasn’t too much to hope for, was it?
Once she was done drying her hair and getting ready for work, Brooke ventured back out into the apartment. Dylan sat on the couch, frowning as he hunched over his phone.
“Everything okay?” she asked.
“Fine.” His frown disappeared as he looked up, and once again she had the sense he wasn’t telling her the whole truth. “You heading out?”
“Yeah.” She went to the bookcase by the door and dug around in the basket of random junk sitting on top. “I’ll give you a spare key to the apartment. That way you can come and go as you please.”
When she turned around, Dylan was standing beside her, closer than she’d expected him to be. She startled a little, and he took a step back. “Sorry.”
“No, you’re good.” She held out the key, dangling from a Monterey Bay Aquarium keychain. “Here.”
“Thanks.” He held out his hand, and she dropped the key into it. His long fingers closed around it in a fist. “Have a good day at work.”
“You too. I mean, good luck with your shoot.” She frowned. “Am I allowed to say good luck, or am I supposed to say break a leg?”
His mouth curved in a smile. “Good luck works great.”
“Okay, good luck then.”
He stepped forward and pulled her into a full-body hug. “I really appreciate you letting me stay with you.” He smelled like her shower gel, and his T-shirt was warm and silky soft against her cheek.
Hugs were a rare commodity in Brooke’s life, and her body reacted like a starving kitten, nuzzling into his embrace as she exhaled a long, purring sigh. “It’s nothing.”
“And again, sorry about the accidental nudity.”
She laughed against his shoulder. “Don’t worry about it.”
It was just an ordinary, innocent hug between old friends. No big deal.
Except it wasn’t ordinary or innocent, because she couldn’t help thinking about the body that lurked under Dylan’s clothes—which she’d now glimpsed in the flesh—as it pressed up against hers.
Even after he let go of her and waved goodbye, the impression of his body lingered on hers, and she couldn’t stop thinking about it.
She kept thinking about it all the way into work.
As soon asBrooke parked her car on campus, she pulled out her phone and texted Olivia.
